Staff Attorney 2

Introduction

The State of Connecticut, Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection (DESPP) has an exciting opportunity for a Staff Attorney 2 in the Legal Affairs Unit.

What We Can Offer You

• Visit our NEW State Employee Benefits Overview page!
• Professional growth and development opportunities
• A healthy work/life balance to all employees
• The State of Connecticut is an eligible Public Service Loan Forgiveness employer, meaning you may be eligible to have qualifying student loans forgiven after 10 years of service. Click here for more information.

Position Highlights

This position provides agency-wide legal support, with a specialized focus on the Division of Emergency Management and Homeland Security and the Connecticut Intelligence Center.

In this role, you will:

• Provide legal guidance to leadership and staff
• Interpret and apply relevant laws and regulations, and
• Assist with policy, contract, and regulatory matters that support the agency's public safety mission.

This is a full-time position, Monday-Friday. A Hybrid schedule may be available based on agency availability.

About Us

The Legal Affairs Unit manages all agency legal matters, including responding to records requests, managing administrative hearings, and overseeing regulations, legislative proposals, ethics matters, contracts, and litigation.

DESPP is committed to protecting and improving the quality of life for all by providing a broad range of public safety services, training, regulatory guidance, and scientific services utilizing enforcement, prevention, education and state of the art science and technology. DESPP is structured on three key Strategic Pillars created by Commissioner Ronnell Higgins.

1. Operational Efficiency, Efficacy and Excellence

• Making decisions through the thoughtful and informed use of data
• Challenging the "that’s the way it’s always been done" construct - i.e., thinking outside the box as to how we can improve
• Constantly seeking better results

2. Shared Fiscal Responsibility

• Recognizing our collective responsibility to steward the agency's resources
• Realigning planned budgetary actions to ensure that they are in taxpayers' interests
• Preparing together for potential budget stresses and fiscal challenges

3. Ethics and Accountability

• Critically and constantly measuring our practices against our policies
• Performing quarterly performance evaluations agency-wide to measure success and flag areas needing improvement
• Regularly engaging external partners for feedback and assessments
• Opening our doors to Connecticut students and workers for apprenticeships, internships, and career pathways

Purpose of Job Class (Nature of Work)

In a state agency this class is accountable for independently performing a full range of tasks in the legal work of the agency.

Examples of Duties

• Performs advanced and complex legal work of an agency;
• Researches, interprets, analyzes and applies complex and conflicting laws and regulations, case law and legal principles;
• Acts as hearing officer or represents agency in formal administrative and public proceedings on a full range of cases involving complex legal and technical issues;
• Negotiates and drafts settlement agreements;
• Drafts advisory opinions, rulings, decisions, recommendations, findings, legislation, statutes, regulations, publications and other related legal documents;
• Assists in the preparation and presentation of trials and appeals;
• Consults with the Office of the Attorney General on legal issues;
• Research